As Europe buckles under Nazi occupation, Maisie Dobbs investigates a possible murder that threatens devastating repercussions for Britain's war efforts in this latest installment in theNew York Timesbestselling mystery series.September 1941. While on a delivery, young Freddie Hackett, a message runner for a government office, witnesses an argument that ends in murder. Crouching in the doorway of a bombed-out house, Freddie waits until the coast is clear. But when he arrives at the delivery address, hes shocked to come face to face with the killer. Dismissed by the police when he attempts to report the crime, Freddie goes in search of a woman he once met when delivering a message: Maisie Dobbs. While Maisie believes the boy and wants to help, she must maintain extreme caution: shes working secretly for the Special Operations Executive, assessing candidates for crucial work with the French resistance. Her two worlds collide when she spots the killer in a place she least expects. She soon realizes shes been pulled into the orbit of a man who has his own reasons to killreasons that go back to the last war. As Maisie becomes entangled in a power struggle between Britains intelligence efforts in France and the work of Free French agents operating across Europe, she must also contend with the lingering question of Freddie Hacketts state of mind. What she uncovers could hold disastrous consequences for all involved in this compelling chapter of the series that seems to get better with every entry (Wall Street Journal).
